Branbay

CambsCruiser, A little off-topic topic but my wife and I took our first NCL/Haven cruise on the Escape this past July out of Miami. If you have any questions regarding the Haven on the Escape, please fire away.

I agree with Amy's post. We just asked the concierge, and she booked us a massage on GSC. Which was amazing, the spa on GSC is located in the Silver Cove area. When we were finished with our massage, we were able to use the amenities at Silver Cove which included having access to the lunch buffet, use of floats, chairs, access to the bar, etc.

We recived our letter about 30 days out.

We received ours about 30 days out.

My wife and I booked a massage on the Escape; we chose to have it done on Great Stirrup Cay, which was fantastic as we enjoyed all of the amenities at Silver Cove after our massage. We had access to the lagoon, bars, and the buffet restaurant.

Hi knscruiser322, While I cannot speak for the Joy as we just got off of the Escape last Sunday. We did laundry two times in the Haven. There is a price list/checklist and a bag located inside the closet, you just fill it out and leave the bag on your bed and the steward will take care of it. Each time we did ours I was charged $29, the second bag of laundry was "fill the bag for one price" I believe it showed up on the third day of the cruise. For the first bag, I should have been charged considerably more but I wasn't.

Hi vacation44, The spa prices are listed on the pamphlet they provide within the Haven lounge area and I'm sure you can find the prices online. We booked on board through the concierge two days before we arrived on Great Stirrup Cay. I was given the option to have the massage either onboard or on Great Stirrup Cay. I had no idea that after the massage we had access to Silver Cove. It was an amazing experience!

It was an amazing area of the island, there were two bars, a private buffet, and the beach was crescent-shaped. I would say only half of the lounge chairs were being used.

CDR, You were correct, sir; her expression/reaction was absolutely priceless. I walked her past the Haven embarkation area in Miami and got in the regular embarkation line. I had written a letter telling her where we were staying and the minute I said the word "Haven", she was beyond ecstatic. I didn't have time to pull out my phone to take the picture, but I will remember that reaction forever.

Good Morning, I have just returned from a 7-night cruise on the NCL Escape (Eastern Caribbean, 7/2-7/9) with 5,200+ passengers, full Haven. First-time NCL and Haven as well. I do not even know where to begin with the experience my wife and I had. I will say that following these boards was a lifesaver, especially a butler letter and pre-tip. I was astonished by the number of folks in the Haven who had no idea that you could use the staff elevator to get off and on at each port, order whatever you'd like from the Haven menu (during Haven hours), etc...I could write a book on our experience. If anyone has specific questions, please fire away. Here's a trick I think some folks may enjoy. My wife and I did a couples massage on Great Stirrup Cay, we were given a wristband that stated: Lagoon Access, we were driven to the spa which is located in Silver Cove via an electric cart. After the massage was over we were told by several staff we could utilize the lagoon area in Silver Cove, which included lounge chairs, floats, a restaurant (open until 2:00 pm), and a bar. We never went back to the original beach, we stayed in Silver Cove all day...

@Sthrngary @CDR Benson Gentlemen, I wanted to thank you both, as well as everyone else on this forum for their insightful comments, secrets, and suggestions. As you know, the Haven will be a surprise for my wife, and we are embarking this Sunday out of Miami. After thoroughly reading your suggestions, I am as prepared as I am going to be. I have created the butler letter (using Gary's template), with our requests, and I have spoken to the shoreside concierge for certain reservations/questions. The time has now arrived for the adventure to begin, for which I will post our experience upon our return. I plan on snapping a photo of my wife's response when she finds out we are in the Haven, as I'm sure it will be priceless. Thank you again.

That's too funny! This morning I looked up deck 15 on the Escape as I told her that deck; I now have a stateroom number should she inquire further...I plan to keep her waiting until we board in Miami. I may even walk past the Haven check area (just briefly). This is a first for us as well.

Just for some laughs, my wife asked what stateroom we were in last night, she doesn't know we are staying in the Haven as it's a surprise. So I quickly blurted out it was on deck 15...she bought it...lol. I also had some difficulty intercepting the Haven letter with the luggage tags, she's a school teacher and she's off for the summer.

@knscruiser322 Hello knscruiser, I have a question about tipping the bartenders while in the Haven, the tips you give the bartenders are on top of the pre-paid bar gratuities correct?

Thank you for your response